Becoming
by ExploitingReality
Summary: Bella is a normal teenage girl, with plans for a normal human life. But a trip to Italy changes everything; and now she's destined for so much more. Whether she wants it or not. Fairly Dark. Rate M for adult content
1. Unwilling Survivor

**A/N: Okay, so it's not a Calefaction update, but not to worry, I'm working on that as well. This idea came to me while I was sitting at work and it literally demanded to be written.**

**It's definitely A/U, so I'll give you a quick background before you start reading.**

**Bella has lived in Forks with Renee and Charlie her entire life. She has never met the Cullens, because they do not reside in Forks. She's lived a normal, happy life. Having just graduated High School, she decides to take a trip with her friends. And things don't turn out at all like they should.**

**Edward, Alice and Jasper do not live with the Cullens. Edward was turned, but not by Carlisle. (It'll be explained in the story) All three of our favorite characters are members of the Volturi guard, for their exceptional abilities. You may assume that Esme, Carlisle, Rose and Emmett are all living happily together with Tanya in Alaska.**

**I've taken the liberty of giving more of the Volturi quite a lot stronger powers, because frankly, I think that Bella was way too powerful in the books. It also didn't add up, fully to me, that she was immune to some stuff that I thought was mental, so I've set up my own determination. Bella's shield is still intact, however, while her mind cannot be swayed or influenced in anyway, and her thoughts do not escape the shield, so cannot be read, she cannot block others from using their minds to execute powers. You'll see what I mean.**

**That's pretty much all you need to know. Hopefully you enjoy it. Just FYI, it's a little darker than some of my other fics, though some of you that know my writing, know that I like to write my vampires a little more vampire-y than what Stephenie Meyer had in mind. :P**

**I have to give credit to my husband for help on this one. He has lots of plans for making Jane and Alec utterly evil, so we'll see how it goes. ;P**

**You guys will have to let me know what you think.**

**This will be Jasper x Bella eventually.**

**~Ex**

Becoming

Chapter 1

Unwilling Survivor

The screaming had stopped.

I lifted my head warily from the cold stone floor, peering blindly into the consuming darkness as I pulled my hands away from either side of my head, where I'd had them clasped with desperate strength for what felt like hours. There were no more terrified cries of pain; no heart wrenching sobs. My ears echoed with nothing more than the frantic thundering of my own pulse and my panicked, gasping breaths. I wanted to be relieved. I should have been relieved. But there was no room left for anything but the all-consuming fear.

I was grateful, yes, for the sudden absence of the noises that had threatened to sink me into an abyss of insanity, but I knew that I would never forget what I had witnessed, by both sight and sound, until the very day that I drew my last breath.

Of course, that was looking suspiciously like today.

The wry observation both scared and cheered me. On the one hand, I wasn't allowing my imminent demise to dull the keen edge of my wit. On the other, I had apparently accepted my fate without even giving thought to a possible escape.

But what choice did I really have? Why allow myself foolish, futile hopes of escape, when I had seen...

I shuddered, closing my eyes and swallowing desperately against the bile that burned the back of my throat. Who knew how long I would be in here, how long I would go without food and water; it wouldn't be wise to vomit what few contents currently resided in my stomach. I threw myself onto my back, panting.

I'd been captured by monsters.

I laughed quietly to myself, shaking my head. Despite my predicament, I could easily recognize the insanity of the suggestion. In fact, I vaguely recalled watching a television program with my dad, some weeks back, and scoffing at the trembling, doe-eyed victims that recited their alien abduction stories with absolute conviction.

I certainly wasn't scoffing now.

Though I _could_ say, with quite a bit of certainty, that my captors were not aliens, they definitely weren't human.

I'd developed theories; theories about what I'd seen, theories that I'd contemplated while locked within this dark, dank little cell, listening to what could only be the murder of nearly twenty people, but most of them were too terrifying to claim as anything other than the rather vivid productions of my far-too-fertile imagination.

They were beautiful. All of them. These human-like creatures that moved with unerring speed and grace. Their smiles just a bit too stiff to be genuine, their voices lilting with a melodic cadence…

* * *

"_Miss, will you be joining us for the tour?"_

_I glanced up from a text message from my mother, demanding that I have the best time ever, or else, meeting a pair of dark eyes, fringed by the longest lashes I'd ever seen. They peered at me with friendly curiosity, and I smiled at the beautiful woman as I tucked my cell phone away._

_I could hardly believe I was in Italy. Me, Bella Swan, of the smallest, rainiest town in the U.S., in Italy! It'd always been a dream of mine to escape the humid, green confines of Forks, Washington, and see what the real world was like. To find a place where the sun was reliable. Where the inhabitants had accents I could barely understand. Where I didn't have to worry that my parents would hear of my exploits through the wildfire that was small-town gossip. If I had any exploits anyway. I just wanted to see what was out there, beyond the tiny Washington town where I'd lived all my life._

_And here I was. As a graduation present, Charlie and Renee, my parents, had purchased this amazing trip for me. I'd come with a few friends, Jessica, Angela and Lauren, my best friends since grade school. We were pretty much inseparable. The four musketeers, as we so nerdily called ourselves. The thought of being away from one another, even for a few weeks, was too much. So we'd convinced our folks that it was much safer for us to travel together._

_We'd had an amazing time so far. Visiting the tourist attractions, gorging ourselves on the local fare, and making fools of ourselves in nightclubs, because hell, there really wasn't much of a chance of us seeing any of these people again, right?_

_Today had been our first falling out. Of sorts. It wasn't anything I expected to last. It never really did. One of us would call the other a bitch. We'd split up into our little two vs. two sides, and a few days later, it'd be all over. It's just how things were with us. _

_I wanted to go and see the Piazza dei Priori, they were only offering the guided tour today, while Jessica had her heart set on going to see the excavated Roman Theatre. Of course, we couldn't just split up and go our separate ways, like adults, though that's what we eventually ended up doing… After a knock-down, drag-out fight, where I actually pushed Jessica into a historic fountain, oh yes, you heard correctly, Angela and I had retreated to the Piazza to await our tour guide._

_Ten minutes later my phone had begun buzzing. It was the text from my mom. My crazy, flighty mother, who probably would've loved to join me on this trip, if she wouldn't have missed my dad so much. I'd assured her that we were having the best time someone could in a beautiful, welcoming, amazing foreign country. _

"_Yes, my friend and I are attending, thank you so much," I smilingly answered to the super-model of a tour guide who'd addressed me._

_Now, I'd never had any tendencies to play for the other team, or anything like that, but as we were led amongst the beautiful, old buildings, I found myself nearly mesmerized by our tour guide's voice. Every word that passed her lips may as well have been the melodic lyrics to the most beautiful song ever sung. Yet, if you asked me to recite the information that she passed along to us, I don't think I could have recalled a single fact._

_We neared the looming Palazzo, and the woman, Heidi, turned to us with a stunning smile, I swear, I was nearly blinded by the sudden flash of white as she invited us all on a special part of the tour, reserved for only the most important of groups. Angela and I looked at one another skeptically, before grinning and shrugging. Why not?_

_Children's laughter echoed on the old, cool stone as we were led into the depths of the castle. It was truly beautiful. I always wondered how these buildings managed to withstand the test of time, without modern technology and renovations. It wasn't like anyone was still living here after all. _

_As we approached two massive, wooden doors, Heidi turned to us with a conspiratorial smile. _

"_Now, we normally don't do this, allow tourists into the main hall, but I think you guys deserve it."_

_There were several peels of laughter at Heidi's confidence in us, and as she pulled the doors open, we were ushered in quickly, the doors slamming shut with an eerie finality behind us._

_I shifted nervously as I realized the chamber was already occupied. Three …interesting looking men sat on what could only be described as thrones sat before us, one looking gleeful, one apathetic, and the other pleased. I glanced at Angela as she murmured,_

"_Bella, what's going on? Did you know about this?"_

_I shook my head mutely as I realized there were several more people standing just beyond the dais where the three men sat. An attractive lot, all of them, but something… was off…_

_The gleeful man stood, shaking his long, jet black hair around his shoulder as he held his arms out in welcome._

"_Esteemed guests of honor, we are so pleased that you could join us today."_

_By now there were several nervous mutterings behind us, and a tiny voice exclaimed curiously, "Mommy, who are those guys?"_

_The child was shushed… And then they were upon us._

_I cried out softly, confusion and fear making my heart race wildly as there was nothing but chaos for several seconds. Pale blurs of movement swept through the room, knocking several of the tour group down, propelling several more of them toward the walls. _

_My hand fluttered uselessly toward my throat and I wrapped my fingers around the small swan figurine, carved from stone, that hung from my neck. Jacob had made it for me. Sweet, sweet Jacob, who always assured me that we'd be together one day, despite my protestations that he was just far too young._

_I whirled toward the doors, reaching for the handles and yanking with desperate strength. They didn't budge. My arms strained painfully as I pulled harder. I had to get out. Me and Angela, we needed to get away._

_Angela…_

"_Angela?!" I shrieked, panic sliding up my spine like an icy finger. "Angela!!" _

_I turned back toward the room, and it swam sickeningly as I took in the scene before me. Several people were laying in a pile near one of the walls, a tangled mass of bloody limbs. My stomach lurched, threatening to spill my lunch. I swallowed hard. Now was not the time to give in to the hysteria. I needed to get Angie, get the fuck out of here, and we could freak out together. Later._

"_Angela!?" I pleaded, forcing my voice to rise above the din. Someone ran past me, pursued by another of the pale blurs and my legs began to shake, refused to hold me upright any longer as an elderly woman who'd offered me a butterscotch candy was taken to the ground with a feral snarl from her pursuer._

_This…This wasn't happening. This was like a bad horror movie! Who were these people? Where was Angela? I clutched the stone animal at the base of my throat until it bit into my palm, drawing dark beads of blood that ran down my wrist. _

_I was hit with a hard, cold body within seconds._

_Taken to the ground, I could only close my eyes and pray as strong fingers closed over my wrist, dragging my hand upward. I shuddered with disgust as someone lapped at the blood that dripped down my arm, moaning quietly in what I could only assume was appreciation. I struggled in vain as my head was jerked to one side by a cruel hand in my hair. Please let it be quick, I silently begged as a pair of cool lips touched my neck, just above where my pulse beat a wild, faltering rhythm._

"_Wait!" A melodic soprano voice forced the foraging beast above me to halt, but I didn't dare open my eyes, lest I draw unwanted attention to myself._

"_What is it, Alice?" came a growled response, that even for its animal-like quality, was beautiful in it's own right._

"_Aro will want that one," she murmured, and my eyes flew open as I tried to decipher the meaning of the words. All I could see was the twisted visage of the man above me. He looked more beast than man._

"_Are you sure?" he snarled from above me._

"_Oh yes, I am quite sure," she replied, and suddenly the weight that pinned me to the floor was gone. _

"_Dammit, now all the good ones are gone!" came the complaint of my attacker as I rolled onto my stomach before pushing to my feet. I made for the door, tripping over my own unsteady feet before I was even close. I fell to my knees, gasping as my hand crushed down painfully on what felt like shattered bits of plastic._

_What? I lifted my fingers slowly…_

_Angela's glasses. Oh god, Angela, where…_

_I grabbed the broken accessory and looked around desperately. _

_And then, she was there._

_Her sightless gaze peered at me accusingly and blood trickled from between her lips. She was… _

"_Oh my god, oh my god, no, no, please!" I whispered. Suddenly, the sound of screaming filled my ears, a terrible, wrenching sound. It took me several seconds to realize that it was coming from me. I crawled over to Angela, the wounded animal sounds still erupting from my throat as I dragged her limp body toward me. _

"_Please, please Angie, no. No…" I whispered, before a pair of strong, pale hands pulled her away from me._

"_No! Please, what have you done?!" I screamed angrily, climbing shakily to my feet, adrenaline causing spots to flash before my gaze. _

"_Will someone please shut her up?" A cool, bored voice commented._

"_This ought to do it," came another._

_Something landed with a hard thud at my feet, and I instinctively looked down._

_The child. The child that had asked about the men…_

_Throat torn out…_

_Oh my god…_

_Darkness came at me swiftly, and as my legs buckled, I was thankful for it._

* * *

The sound of a key being inserted into the lock of my prison jerked me from the horrors of my own head, and I pushed myself into a sitting position, sliding back and pressing myself against the wall as hard as I could. I swallowed, the sound audible in the hush of the room, and waited, heart pounding painfully in my chest.

"She's in here. Aro said we should take a look, make sure Alice is right."

The door began to ease open, and light flooded the small room. I looked around desperately for some type of weapon, but the room was empty of anything useful.

"Ha. When has Alice ever been wrong?" came the reply.

There was more than one. I blinked against the harsh light, as one of them stepped into the room.

"Rise and shine, little mortal," came the caustic greeting, and I looked at my hands, clenched tightly in my lap. I feared that my nails would leave permanent marks in my palms.

"Hmm…Interesting." A low voice that reminded me of velvet slid past the door-opener and into the room.

"What's that?" the first asked.

"I can't hear her," replied the second.

"You can't? No wonder Alice said to hold off."

What did they mean they couldn't hear me? I wasn't talking! And who was Alice? Who were these people? What was going on?!

I felt the breath begin to rush in and out of my tightening throat and before long I was gasping, blackness swimming at the edges of my vision as panic set in.

"C'mon Jas, we can't experiment with her potential if you don't keep her calm," velvet-voice complained.

"Yeah, yeah, sorry. I'm not used to bothering with the humans. Their fear is fun."

A low wave of tranquility washed over me, soothing the tattered ends of my nerves, and I could suddenly breath again.

I glanced up sharply.

"What did you just do?" I demanded hoarsely, my throat raw from all the screaming I'd done.

"It talks," one of them uttered sardonically to the other.

I frowned mutinously and decided to keep my mouth shut.

"Well, let's get on with this then, I've got a trial to attend this afternoon."

Door-opener stepped into the cell, and grasped my arm, dragging me out into the light, despite my refusal to cooperate. He pushed me roughly into an uncomfortable chair, and I peered at the floor.

"What's your name?" Velvet asked.

I pressed my lips together, refusing to answer. Did they really thing that I was going to volunteer information?

I remained stoic for all of five seconds, when a strong, male hand roughly slapped my cheek, rocking my head back on my shoulders as the coppery taste of blood filled my mouth. Stars exploded behind my eyelids and I blinked slowly as I rolled my head back forward.

"Don't waste our time, mortal. This isn't some a game. There's no one to rescue you. It'd be better for you if you cooperated."

Velvet sighed at Door-opener's tactics, rolling his eyes.

"Aro won't be pleased if you damage the goods, Jasper."

Jasper. I glared at the handsome blonde man briefly, committing the face and name to memory.

"Now, girl. Please tell us your name," Velvet requested, walking into my line of sight, and making me catch my breath. He was like a fallen angel. A soft shock of tousled auburn hair, perfectly aligned features, lips that looked like they were made for kissing. It took me a second to remind myself that these were the bad guys. Still, as Velvet met my gaze, his a shocking blood-red, and commanded quietly once more, "Tell me your name", I felt my lips forming the answer without my permission.

"Isabella Swan."

He nodded, smiling charmingly at me.

"Very good, Isabella. Now, what are you doing in Italy?"

"Bella," I responded, shaking my head slowly. I felt as though a very warm, very comfortable haze had settled around me, slowing my speech and movements.

"Pardon me?"

"Bella, not Isabella."

His quiet laughter was indulgent. "Alright then Bella. You are quite obviously not from around these parts. Where are you from and what is your business in Italy?"

I blinked slowly, trying to remember. "Forks. I'm from Forks Washington, and I'm here with my friends… I… I just graduated high school."

Jasper chuckled. "She's young."

"I was younger than she when I was changed," argued Velvet.

"What's your name?" I found myself asking, interrupting their conversation.

"I'm Edward, and this is Jasper," the fallen angel declared, gesturing to the disgruntled looking man that had hit me.

"I don't like him," I declared petulantly, feeling as though the filter to my brain had been injudiciously turned off; perhaps it'd malfunctioned beneath the weight of Edward's gaze.

"I can't say that I blame you dear," Edward agreed, grinning as Jasper uttered beneath his breath about coddling mortals.

"Why am I here?" I questioned, this inquisition feeling incredibly surreal.

"At first glance, it would appear that you are not like your little human friends. We'd like to find out a bit more about that," Edward murmured, still holding me captive with his gaze.

I nodded helplessly. "Alright."

He smiled, looking away, and I was released from the grips of his thrall. The anger and fear flowed back through me, like poison raging through my bloodstream, as the pleasantly numb feeling Edward had invoked dissipated.

"What do you want with me?! You won't get away with this!" I cried, surprised to feel the warmth of tears streaking down my face.

"Ugh, why didn't you leave her in the trance?" Jasper complained disdainfully.

"Because, I can't very well examine her potential limits if I'm wasting my energies on a trance, can I? Can't you calm her or something?"

Another wave of calm washed over me, lulling my heart rate back to normal, easing the tightness in my chest.

"Well, she can't be a very good shield if I can manipulate her so easily."

Edward shot him a look. "That all depends on what type of shield she is. Physical, mental or emotional. Obviously, she's not the latter."

I glanced between the two of them, wide-eyed. They were obviously nuts. Of course, they'd just killed twenty people in cold blood, so that really wasn't in question.

"Nor the first, considering I didn't feel a thing when I hit her," Jasper mused.

Edward nodded distractedly. "Mmm. Mental then. A useful supplement to Renata."

"If she's strong enough."

Who? What were they talking about? Shields? Mental? Hitting? My head was beginning to ache from trying to keep up with the ludicrous conversation.

"One way to find out. Get Jane."

"You sure?"

Edward nodded thoughtfully, watching me, his arms crossed over his chest.

The one called Jasper left the room, and I was left alone with Edward. I briefly envisioned finding a weapon of sorts, knocking him out cold, and making a stealthy escape, but that wasn't happening and we both knew it. They hadn't even bothered to tie me up after all.

Several seconds later Jasper reappeared, a girl, younger than me, certainly, in tow. Her sandy brown hair was cut short, and her impish face held the same crimson eyes as the other two. She smiled slowly, the expression not at all pleasant, as she came to stand next to them.

"This is Aro's latest acquisition?" she murmured contemptuously.

Edward smiled at the girl.

"We were hoping you could tell us."

"What is she?" the girl, Jane, Edward had called her, demanded.

"Alice says a shield. A powerful one. I can't read her."

"And Jasper?" Her small head turned toward the blonde and she watched him curiously.

"My influence is working just fine," he declared.

"And judging by the bruise swiftly blooming on the girl's face, I suspect she couldn't befuddle you into not hitting her," Jane murmured with amusement.

"Nope."

Edward cleared his throat. "We need to know if she should be changed. As an addition to Renata's gift."

"Hmm," the girl murmured. "It seems unlikely that something so frail could possess any true power, but I suppose we were all human once."

She came to stand before me, her false smile falling far short of her gaze. "Alright girl, let's see what you've got."

She blinked once, slowly, before peering at me intently, her crimson gaze boring into my own. Something compelled me not to blink, though my brain was screaming at me to do just that.

Minutes passed and nothing happened.

Jasper began to laugh, and the girl jerked upright, a disgruntled look on her face.

"Well, I'll be. Looks like Ali was right."

Edward was smiling as well. "What luck."

Jane, however, looked anything but pleased and her gaze suddenly jerked toward me, her grin malicious.

"Not physical, you said?" she demanded quietly, intensely.

"Jane, don't," Edward warned.

"Don't what?" I asked quietly, before the most excruciating pain I'd ever felt swept through me, like fire scorching through my veins. My back arched, and my nails dug into the arms of the chair. I couldn't even utter a sound, my throat as tense as every other muscle in my body. I would have given anything, anything to make it stop.

"Jane!" Jasper admonished, and through my half-lidded gaze, I saw him grasp her slender shoulders and force her to look away. "Aro would be sorely disappointed if he knew what you were up to. She's still human, you could do irreparable damage."

I fell back against the chair, gasping, my limbs tingling with phantom remnants of the pain.

"You alright?" Edward asked.

I nodded, though it was probably the furthest thing from the truth.

"What was that?" I demanded between breaths, the muscles in my arms spasming lightly.

"Jane has the ability to inflict pain," Edward explained quietly as Jasper led the demon-girl from the room. "She can either make you _believe_ that you are in incredible pain, which doesn't work on you, or she can inflict true, bodily harm with her mind alone, everything from severing nerve endings to causing a complete shutdown of every muscle group in your body. Your mind cannot be influenced, but you're not immune to physical damage."

Mental, physical and emotional…shields… I shook my head slowly. This was not happening.

"She's scary."

Edward laughed, nodding. "Yes, yes she is."

We lapsed into silence for several minutes, before I couldn't take it anymore.

"What are you going to do with me?" I asked quietly, terrified of the answer, but needing it.

Edward beamed down at me, his teeth unnaturally white, incredibly sharp looking, and grasped my elbow, guiding me to my feet.

"Looks like Aro has a new shield."

* * *

**A/N: Let me know what you think. :) Thanks for reading!**


	2. Unacceptable Losses

**A/N: Hey guys, here's another one. Sorry it's a little late, the first week of the month is crazy for me at work. Hopefully Calefaction will have an update by Thursday.**

**One quick note. There is some perspective changing this chapter; I didn't note it, but you should be able to tell when it happens. Everything that is first person is Bella, the rest of the story will be told in third person.**

**Let me know what you think.**

**~Ex**

**And because I forgot on Chapter 1:**

*****I do not own anything that you recognize and this is done for fun, not profit.*****

Becoming

Chapter 2

Unacceptable Losses

I was going to refuse.

The decision was made the moment that the fallen angel had bodily hefted me out of my seat, smiling as though I was being granted the most incredible gift.

I wanted to hit him. I wanted to grab him and shake him, and rail at him.

How dare he smile at me? How dare he speak to me as if nothing had happened? As if he and his cohorts hadn't just slaughtered a group of innocent people right in front of me? My _best friend _included! Did he truly believe that I was going to view these circumstances, to be used for whatever power they had imagined up for me, in a favorable light?

I'd rather die than do anything to help these monsters. I only hoped that I would be able to hold on to my conviction when they inevitably attempted to 'sway' my decision. I could gladly live the final days of my existence without seeing Jane's terrifying gaze again.

Or maybe they'd decide I wasn't worth the effort. Maybe my supposed 'shield' abilities weren't good enough to bother with the trouble I intended to give them and they'd end this ridiculous charade before it could go any further.

I allowed Edward to lead me back to my cell without protest. It just didn't seem like the right time to inform him of my decision. Not with the muscles of my arms and legs aching with every step, memory of the pain that Jane had inflicted far too fresh in my mind.

As he closed the door, he smiled; a deceptively beatific expression that I returned with nothing more than a half-hearted glare.

"We'll have to see about getting you a more comfortable place to stay, hm Bella? It seems as though you'll be with us for a while," he murmured, before the heavy iron door swung shut and I was left with nothing but the darkness and my thoughts.

I had a feeling that the latter would prove to be the greater evil.

The shadows settled oppressively around me, a stifling obscure blanket, and it began, as I'd known it would, but prayed it wouldn't.

My head ached with the sudden onslaught of torturous memories; voices and images that seemed intent to pry my already tenuous grip on sanity looser yet. I was helpless to stop them, and I fell to my knees as pain, pain greater than even the terrible girl had inflicted, wracked through me.

I slid down onto the cold floor, drawing my knees up to my chest and wrapping my arms tightly around myself, lest I shatter into millions of irretrievable pieces.

Hot tears began to trek their way down my cheeks as I relived Angela's death; the blood on her face, her eyes, wide and unseeing, staring accusingly right through me.

It was my fault. It was my fault she was dead. And I... I was alive. _Why_ was I alive? My shoulders began to shake as choked sobs ripped their way out of my throat. Why hadn't I gone with Jessica? Why had I been so stubborn and insistent?

Oh God. What did Jessica think? How long had Angie and I been gone? Was the other half of the four musketeers worrying about our whereabouts? Had they called someone? The police? My parents?

A new pain, acute and consuming, spread through my chest, and I gasped desperately at air that was suddenly too thick for airways that were rapidly becoming too small.

My parents. I was never going to see them again.

Of that, I was absolutely certain.

I swallowed against the hysterical sobs that clawed their way out of me. My mom. She would be inconsolable...

For as long as I could remember, it'd been me and her; my childhood had been filled with love, laughter and most importantly, my mom. She stayed at home with me, while my dad worked long hours, protecting the public from the dregs of society. There wasn't any problem, big or small, that I couldn't bring to my mom. She knew when I needed to be reined in and she knew when I just needed a sympathetic ear. She was easily one of my best friends.

And now...

A painful lump swelled, lodging firmly in my throat and my eyes burned with a steady stream of tears.

She would never move past the denial stage. I remembered when Gran had passed away; it'd taken her months simply to come to terms with the tragedy... I could envision her when she found out, the frantic, wide-eyed look as she pleaded with Charlie to purchase two flights to Italy, where she'd flash my photo at everyone she met, asking them if they'd ever seen me. But I knew... Even if my dad were to agree to the crazy scheme, they would never find me.

And dad.

Well, I'd never been much of a daddy's girl, but I knew where to go when I needed silent companionship. My dad never required the idle chatter that my mom seemed to like so much. With him, I could just be, and it was quite alright with the both of us.

Dad would bury his emotions; he'd be the stoic rock that my hysterical mother needed. But his eyes, the eyes that mirrored my own so exactly, they would betray him. He would blame himself. He would blame my mom. He would blame me. Like Renee, he would never believe that I was truly gone. Without solid proof, without being able to see my body for himself, he would believe I was out there until his dying breath.

Their lives would be ruined.

All because I didn't want to see the fucking Roman Theatre!

I uttered a furious cry, slamming my fist down with merciless strength onto the damp stones, briefly going rigid with shock as a resounding crack echoed throughout the tiny room. I felt my pulse throb heavily in my hand, a tingling sort of numbness following in its wake. Frowning into the darkness, I experimentally flexed my fingers, the sudden ache that radiated up my arm helping to assuage the ragged wound that afflicted my conscience. I welcomed the pain, the distraction from my thoughts. I struck the floor again, shuddering as the obviously broken bones in my hand shifted slightly, grinding together in a way that they had no right to. I did it again. And again, and again; mindless, violent repetition, until I collapsed onto my side, trembling lightly with adrenaline, warm, sticky blood dripping from my damaged hand.

I deserved far worse.

Throwing myself onto my back, I cradled my injured arm against my chest, staring into the nothingness and silently praying that I was strong enough to do what needed to be done.

* * *

"What do you think?"

Alice glanced up, a small frown marring her impish features as she pondered Edward's question. Her chest rose and fell with an unnecessary breath as she heaved a burdened sigh.

"What do I think?" She echoed pensively, flitting gracefully from one end of the room to the other, her face a constantly changing mask of lucidity and incoherence. "I think that if we don't expose the girl to Chelsea's influence soon, we may lose her before the game's even begun."

Edward arched a sculpted brow, a slight smirk tugging one corner of his blood-red lips upward.

"She's locked in a cell with nothing but the dust bunnies, Alice. She's certainly not going to be able to end her own life with those."

Alice uttered a quiet 'tut' beneath her breath, shaking her head in exasperation at the young man she loved.

"Edward, you disappoint me. I would think that after all these years you would know to look beyond the glaringly obvious to see the subtleties beneath."

He frowned at her assessment, crossing his arms over his chest and leaning against the wall. Though she seemed intent to barb her point with poorly veiled insults, he was certain she'd divulge it eventually.

"You see, when I say that we might lose the shield, you immediately presume that I'm speaking of death. What of her mental faculties? Leaving her in a dank little cell in the dungeons, undoubtedly tormented by what she's seen over the past day, with no answers, and no hope…" She frowned, her eyes glassy as she lost herself, briefly, to hazy memories that were best left unrecalled. She shook her head to clear it as she glanced up. "Well, there are often far worse things than death, Edward. Things that our own minds are able to submit us to." Alice smiled faintly, flouncing over to brush a light kiss to Edward's lips, her words murmured against his cool, stone skin. "You underestimate her; the girl is quite resourceful. When next you check, trust that there will be blood."

* * *

My own screams woke me.

I didn't recall falling asleep as I jerked upright, someone's shrill shrieks ringing in my ears. I peered wildly into the consuming darkness, wondering where it could possibly be coming from.

It took several seconds, and my throat beginning to sting for me to realize that it was me.

I hastily silenced the disturbing sound, trying to gather my bearings.

I was cold; my clothing slightly damp from having lain on the dank, blood-smeared floor. As though prompted by my thoughts, my hand throbbed excruciatingly, and I bit my lower lip against a whimper.

What had I been thinking? What did hurting myself prove?

I laughed mirthlessly, feeling about with my uninjured hand for the wall. I pushed myself gingerly toward it, leaning against the smooth stones, peering down at where my hand was cradled delicately in my lap. I wished I could see what I'd done; though perhaps it was better if I didn't.

How long had I been here? When did they plan to come get--

Light suddenly flooded the room and I squinted, blinking rapidly against the brilliant illumination. It occurred to me, for just a moment, that the path to freedom lay right in front of me. Just a few short steps away. Of course, nearly blind and injured as I was, it probably wasn't the wisest choice to make a run for it. Besides, I didn't even know what kind of people, if that's what they were, I was dealing with.

I lifted my head slowly, eying the dark silhouette in the door skeptically. I thought I could just make out a halo of blonde. Great.

"Get up," the voice demanded, and I recognized it immediately as belonging to the man that had struck me. I touched my cheek lightly, wondering if there was a bruise.

"I said, get up," he repeated quietly, the undercurrent of threat in his tone causing me to push myself to my unsteady feet. I swayed dizzily for several seconds, using the wall to hold myself up. He sighed impatiently.

I grit my teeth against a scathing response, focusing my energies on staying upright.

"Come with me," he demanded, turning to walk away without waiting to see if I would follow.

I did, without thought. I could pretend that I had a sliver of control by refusing, petulant and childish, but what purpose would that truly serve? I was many things, but stupid was not one of them.

He led me through the room in which they'd interrogated me previously, and I looked about avidly. Though I knew the odds were slim, if I had any chance of escape, I needed to be familiar with the terrain.

The room was long, and gave the distinct feeling of antiquity. A single glance made it immediately apparent that, despite its age, this particular room didn't see much use. Dust hung in the air, tiny motes that sparkled in what murky light filtered in through the ancient stained glass windows. Their scenes were disturbing; pale, wraith-like creatures attacking what appeared to be clergy. I glanced at the back of the young man's head before me in surprise, unable to escape the glaring similarity. I hastily changed the direction of my gaze.

On the far side of the massive room were three long tables, made of a wood so deep brown that it nearly appeared black. Each of these was flanked with long benches, coated in a thick layer of dust that appeared to have not been disturbed in years. In several places, the old wood was badly decayed, splinters seeding the floor below. I frowned thoughtfully. It looked to be an ancient dining room of some type. Apparently my captors did not use it as such, or at all for that matter. Candelabra dotted the tops of the tables in several places, their candles ill-used, twisted and useless with the passage of time.

I must have made a small, unintentional sound, for my tormentor turned suddenly, his deep crimson gaze flitting over me.

"Something to say?"

I quickly shook my head, my heart leaping swiftly into my throat, where it beat rapidly, making it impossible for me to speak.

He nodded, and we resumed our exit.

As my heart slowly eased back into my chest, where it belonged, I found myself muttering distractedly beneath my breath,

"Just that a little house-keeping wouldn't be remiss..."

He glanced over his shoulder in surprise, and I was certain my expression matched his. There was no way that he'd heard that... Had he? I thought I saw his lips quirk in what may have been a slight smile, before the unaffected mask fell back into place and he turned away.

I glanced to the right, examining the tapestries that hung below the windows. I could just imagine the histrionics some poor historian might have, seeing the shape that the venerable wall-hangings were in. Dulled with age, they were still quite beautiful; red and gold threads woven into intricate patterns that bordered what were most likely family crests. Fraying and moth-eaten, I had to wonder why they weren't better cared for.

The carpet beneath my feet looked as though it may have been expensive once; before the crimson fabric had been worn so threadbare that the dark floor underfoot was nearly visible. It gave way to yet more smooth stone, and a thought occurred to me, belated, but incredibly important.

I stopped, on the cusp of exiting the room.

My reluctant guide took several more steps, before realizing that I was no longer following, and turned an irritable stare on me.

"What is it now?" he hissed.

I peered about the new chamber curiously, murmuring,

"Where are you taking me?"

* * *

"You want to change her _now_, Aro?!" Alice stood beside the elder vampire, her soft features drawn tight with agitation.

He smiled at the girl he had taken under his wing. Where others had seen lunacy, he had seen greatness.

"Do you have a problem with that, my dear?" he inquired, his voice laced with more than a touch of amused indulgence.

Alice paced, as she often did when upset, wringing her hands before her. She knew that if she was unable to persuade Aro, in the precious few minutes that she had to do so, everything would go awry. Everything would be for naught.

She slid gracefully into the large throne beside her mentor, the one that Caius usually occupied, and nodded emphatically.

"Yes, Aro, I do. I've seen..." She breathed quietly, gathering her thoughts. "Well, I just don't think this is the appropriate setting, nor mood for that matter. What do you think the girl will think when she's led into the very same room where her friend was killed? Into the very same room with the very same monsters?"

Aro shrugged elegantly, a puzzled frown marring the smooth, translucent skin between his brows. "I do not particularly care what the girl thinks or feels, Alice. If she is to be my shield, I find no reason to prolong the inevitable."

"Do you not?" she demanded angrily. Though incredibly stubborn when he'd made a decision, she wasn't used to Aro putting up this much resistance in regards to her. Alice had been saving his hide for years; she usually at least gave him pause.

He smiled kindly in the face of her irritation.

"No, Alice. I do not."

With what sounded quite a bit like a snarl, Alice reached out and took his hand in both of hers, forcing the terrible visions to the fore of her mind.

_Aro lifted his head, the girl's blood dripping from his lips. His eyes held no trace of humanity, and he growled beneath his breath as Edward, one of his most trusted advisors, stepped forward, concern etched on his angelic marble face. _

"_Sir, any more and you will kill her."_

_Aro peered down at the pale countenance of the girl, his dreams of being entirely invincible against his countless imagined foes seeming unimportant; inconsequential when compared to the taste of this blood, soothing the ache that burned his throat. With a quiet, defeated laugh, he leaned his head back in. Within moments the girl gave a final, rattling breath and went still in his arms._

Aro pulled his hand away from Alice's leisurely, though his eyes were bright with anger.

"You think me incapable? After thousands of years, you presume--"

Alice's smile hinted at sadness. "I presume nothing, Aro. These are not my imaginings. These are the truths that your current mindset will lead to."

He scoffed, raising a hand as though planning to dismiss her. She scrambled to take his hand once more, closing her eyes against the pain the following vision incited.

_Aro threw the limp body of the girl away from him, trembling as he attempted to retain control of himself. Just a little more and he'd have killed her. He wiped the back of his mouth and gestured for Jane and Alice to take her away._

_For days, she suffered the agony of the change, and for days Jasper warned that she was confused, and incredibly angry._

_Edward spoke to the girl, holding her hand as he did what little he could to ease her transition. He could very vividly recall his own change, and it was his firm belief that no one should suffer that alone._

_When the girl finally stilled, Aro, Marcus, Caius, and the guard were summoned. She opened blood-red eyes and peered at them all; captors, murderers, tormentors. She flexed her slender hands; felt their new power, and with a bestial snarl, she leapt at the nearest one. Edward fell beneath her, having no time to even utter a surprised cry as she tore him limb from limb. For a moment there was nothing but surprised silence, until commotion broke loose._

_She reduced their numbers by four, injuring three more with the brute strength granted to ensure newborn survival, until she was destroyed. Her disturbing laughter echoed until her head was removed from her shoulders._

Where Alice's pleading words had held no sway, this, at least, seemed to faze him.

"Oh," he murmured quietly, crossing his legs and extricating himself from her grasp before steepling his fingers beneath his chin.

Alice nodded solemnly, falling back into the uncomfortable chair. The pain of witnessing Edward's death had been almost more than she could bear, but to have seen it again... She swallowed. "Oh, indeed."

Several minutes passed in silence, before he turned toward her expectantly.

"Well? I assume you have something in mind?"

A familiar spark danced to life in the younger vampire's gaze,

"I'm glad that you asked. First things, first, summon Chelsea."

* * *

The doors.

I would recognize them if I escaped, moved back home, and lived to be 100.

The doors that had led to our fate. Angela's death and my... Whatever it was that my fate was.

They loomed before us, two wide, wooden beacons of doom, and I felt myself stiffen and start backing away before I'd even realized that that was my intent.

My tour guide had studiously ignored my curious round of questions; generally revolving around where we were headed and what they planned to do with me, as we'd traversed several long halls. Now I had the answer to at least one of them. Curiosity…

"No," I gasped softly, blinking against a sudden, blinding sheen of tears. I tripped over my own feet, stumbling into a wall with a wince.

The young man turned slowly, his expression tight, as though what little self-control he had left was quickly slipping away.

"Excuse me?"

I shook my head furiously, several lank strands of my filthy hair sticking to the damp trails on my cheeks. Dammit, I didn't want them to see me cry. I scrubbed the tears away with my uninjured hand.

"No. I won't..." I took a shaky breath, trying to compose myself. Considering my circumstances, I felt I was doing admirably, really. I raised my chin slightly and declared, "You can't make me go in there." I'd intended my voice to be strong, but it was reedy, little more than a whisper.

He stood before me in the space of a heartbeat, the motion so inhumanly swift that it took several seconds for my mind to catch up.

"How did you--?" I gasped, stepping back and connecting roughly with the wall, yet again.

"Don't worry about it," he mumbled gruffly.

Nodding toward 'the doors' he arched an expectant brow.

"I'm sorry, I can't," I whispered in defeat.

Rolling his eyes, he muttered, "Humans…" before grabbing my hand roughly.

I screamed. A blood-curdling, horror-movie-actress-in-the-making, vocal-chord-straining scream. Pain shot up my arm into my shoulder; the kind of pain that made my vision blur and my knees weaken.

He dropped my hand as though it had burned him, and I clutched the injured appendage to my chest, panting as I attempted to recover from the sudden bout of torment.

"What's going on out here?!" I heard another familiar voice shout from one of the hallways.

"Fuck," the blonde man muttered.

Angel-face Edward appeared seconds later. Though I knew I shouldn't think it, I knew that he was 'one of them', whatever _they_ were, I couldn't help but imagine him as my savior. Maybe he would stop the blonde from trying to force me into the room.

"Jasper, having trouble?"

They exchanged a knowing glance, and Edward sighed.

"Why didn't you just force her compliance?" he demanded.

Jasper shrugged fluidly. "Doesn't seem like the right way to start things off, I guess." I noticed a slight hint of a southern accent in his voice, and I frowned curiously, glad for even the slightest excuse to think of something other than my throbbing hand. "She's hurt."

"I realize she's hurt, I could smell the blood from her cell all the way up in my room," Edward sighed in irritation. He pushed past the shorter man, and strode toward me, smiling. The smile was comforting, despite the fact that I knew something incredibly dangerous lay beneath that thin veneer of civility. Perhaps, just for now, I needed that illusion.

"What happened, Bella?" he asked kindly. His eyes met mine and I felt myself being lulled back into that warm, safe place.

"I hurt my hand," I replied simply.

He nodded his understanding, and held his out. "May I see?"

I felt like a child as I complied, placing my injured hand lightly in his. The sight of it was enough to snap me out of my slight daze. It was bad. Worse than I could have imagined. It was swollen, so incredibly swollen, as though all of the blood in my arm was circulating through the small extremity. Bruises, black, purple and green, marred the pale skin, and several of my fingers were bent at unnatural angles. Dried blood was caked on several long, deep looking scrapes, and something was poking against the skin on the back of my hand. I was willing to bet it was a bone.

"Oh my god," I gasped, nausea rolling over me in sickening waves.

"Mmm," Edward murmured in agreement. "We'll have to get this taken care of. But first, there's someone very important that you must meet."

His patronizing tone was far less soothing when he wasn't exerting whatever ridiculous powers he had over me.

"If you're asking me to go through those doors, I won't," I asserted quietly.

His smile affected a cruel edge, and I wondered, as an ice-cold finger of fear slid up my spine, how I could have ever imagined him as anyone's savior.

"You will, Bella. And not just today, but whenever we wish it." He closed his hand over mine, the slightest bit of pressure, and I cried out sharply at the stomach-turning pain. He may as well have clamped my hand in a vice. "Do you understand?"

I nodded helplessly, willing to agree to anything just as long as he stopped.

"Good girl," he replied lightly, and I jerked my hand back to my chest the very second he released the pressure.

Panting, I glanced between the two sadistic young men before me.

"What are you?" I demanded, wanting to know what kind of person, or creature, or whatever, could be so unfeeling… So blasé about causing another such pain.

The one called Jasper chuckled. "And Alice assured us you were smart."

"Not to mention observant," Edward replied with a flash of brilliant teeth.

"Tell me!" I snapped.

We all knew that there was nothing I could do if they didn't , no way to fulfill the unspoken threat in my words, but I needed to know. If they didn't give me something, anything, and soon, I was going to lose it.

Jasper stepped forward, grasping the elbow of my uninjured arm in his hand; it was frigid, even through the thin material of my t-shirt. He smiled cordially at me, canting his head.

"We're vampires, of course."

* * *

**A/N: Okay, I know, they're pretty dark compared to their Stephenie Meyer counterparts. But honestly, without Carlisle's influence, humans are little more than food to them. They'll get better when they get to know her. Promise.**


	3. Persuasion

**A/N: Hey guys. Quick warning, this chapter is a bit dark, though by no means any darker than any of the others.**

**Let me know what you think. **

**~Ex**

* * *

Becoming

Chapter 3

Persuasion

Vampires...

Vampires...

The single word echoed in my head; an insidious whisper that rose in volume until it rang deafeningly and I could hear nothing but Jasper's quiet admission and the roaring thunder of my suddenly racing heart. My vision swam blurrily for a moment, the dark stone walls that surrounded us looming ominously, threatening to close in and crush me at any moment. I closed my eyes against a wave of nausea.

Of all of the scenarios I had imagined, had expected, not once had my naïve mind come up with _this_. I'd envisioned some sort of telepathic cult, or a chemical-induced genetic anomaly that had spawned a group of super-villains. I had run the colorful gambit, from movies to comic books and back again, and not once had the word vampire drifted to the surface of my mind.

But it should have, I realized suddenly, a too-little too-late montage of images dancing unhelpfully through my head. The stained glass windows in the neglected dining area, the hard-edged velvet tone Edward used when speaking of smelling my blood, and the too-pale faces of the people whose fate I had not shared...

Vampires...

I struggled valiantly with the hysterical laughter that bubbled effervescently in my chest, not wanting to reveal just how close to losing it I was, but it was a lost cause. And truth be told, I felt that I'd maintained a tremendous amount of control, considering what I'd been thrown into.

"Vampires," I suddenly giggled, drawing both of their gazes. I could see that they were well aware of the thin line I tread, like a tight-rope walker teetering precariously.

Edward heaved a quiet sigh, pinching the bridge of his nose as those he was pulling from the very last reserve of his patience. Jasper, at least, looked mildly concerned for my sanity; though that was probably just because I wasn't of any use them without my mind intact.

They let me laugh until my sides ached and fat tears that weren't entirely caused by mirth, rolled down my cheeks, before Angel-face suddenly grasped my arms with his cruel hands, jerking me away from Jasper's side and shaking me roughly. I was dimly aware, through the haze of my pending insanity, that his touch was cold, as was the body that stood scant inches from my own.

"Enough!" he snarled quietly, and the laughter died as swiftly as it'd been born, the gravity of the situation crashing over me in cold waves, drowning any lingering hysteria. I sobered immediately.

"Are you finished?" he demanded coolly. I was surprised to find the heat of a blush rising to my cheeks while I nodded mutely.

He simply arched a skeptical brow as gave me a nudge in Jasper's direction. Strong fingers curled around my elbow, forcibly guiding me to 'the doors'.

And I realized, just then, that it didn't matter. It wasn't _those_ doors, or _that_ room that were the cause of my misery.

It was everything. Every damp stone of this God-forsaken castle, every crimson eye that I was forced to meet. For as long as I was in their custody, I would never be able to escape the encroaching nightmares that prowled along the edges of my consciousness.

I felt my chin rise marginally, though I hadn't realized I'd meant to do so, as Jasper led me into the room, Edward throwing the doors wide before us. Despite my newfound determination, my stomach knotted painfully as my eyes lingered for just a second upon the floor, now scrubbed immaculately clean, where I had found Angela's prone form. I quickly averted my gaze, taking a deep, calming breath and silently notifying my eyes that they were not allowed to stray from the dais just ahead.

The thrones were occupied by the same three men as they had been previously, while a handful of others were gathered behind them. Now that there wasn't an immediate, consuming fear that I might be killed, I was able to see them a bit clearer. I realized that it was not some trick of the light that had made my guards seem so ethereally beautiful to me. Every person in this room, aside from me, was breathtaking. It was the kind of beauty that almost hurt to look at. But the eyes, those bright crimson eyes, they shattered the angelic illusion, a warning that appearances could be so incredibly deceiving. My steps faltered slightly as those self-same eyes, every pair whether onyx or red, swung toward me, some frankly curious, others frighteningly hostile.

The vampire who sat in the middle-most throne stood abruptly, drawing my attention as he exclaimed, "Ah! Sleeping Beauty awakes!" I recognized him as the vampire who had greeted us that first, horrible day. If I had to guess, I'd say that this was their leader, the Aro that they spoke of. He moved with a sort of predatory grace that was, at once, mesmerizing and disturbing. I willed myself to look away, but my traitorous eyes strayed over the soft fall of his long dark hair, and patrician features. He was lean, reminding me of a great cat, and I didn't doubt that he was possessed of similar speed and cunning. He was handsome, though my skin crawled with the silent acknowledgement.

He stalked toward me, and I felt my heart begin a rhythm so swift that I feared it might burst. I took two small steps back, instincts fairly screaming that I needed to escape, to flee the presence of this creature as swiftly as possible. There was something in particular about _his_ cardinal gaze, the utter lack of humanity there, that terrified me beyond reason. But there was no where to run, and though I'd rather be locked in a closet with Jane than have to face this man, I had no choice.

I bumped into the solid wall that was Jasper as my feet continued their steady retreat, and his hands curled lightly around my shoulders as he nudged me forward.

Aro tutted quietly, his toothy smile less reassuring than I was sure he was attempting to be. "There's no need to be frightened, my dear," he soothed.

I was ready, this time, when the inappropriate laughter ascended, and I tamped down on the urge mercilessly. I exhaled shakily, my head moving slowly back and forth. Did he think I was stupid? That standing here, in the midst of creatures that drank _human blood_ to survive, I didn't realize just how close to facing my own mortality I was? "You're lying," I murmured reproachfully.

I wasn't sure what I expected in response to my accusation, but gleeful laughter was not it. The man nearly giggled, for God's sake. He clapped his hands together and I jumped nervously at the jarring sound.

"Quite right, dearest. Quite right indeed. There's no point, I suppose, in pretending when you're quite aware of what we are. I overheard Jasper's depressingly understated announcement just now, and I'm rather disappointed that he chose not to play it up a bit. Evil soulless vampires capture an innocent young girl for reasons unknown... Ah, but I suppose theatrics are unnecessary at this point, considering what you've seen, hm?"

I felt sick as his amused, musical voice washed over me, loosening the tenuous safeguards I'd placed upon memories that were too fresh and painful to relive just yet.

I grit my teeth against my roiling my stomach, looking at the man with disgust written flagrantly on my face. "Rest assured," I hissed, "that I know _precisely_ what kind of monster you are, regardless of theatrics." Anger, dangerous, impulsive anger, was creeping over me, threatening to wash away all of the well-meaning sorrow and fear.

Several of the onlookers laughed at my words, and Aro grinned patronizingly. "Ah, Isabella." The way he caressed my name as he spoke it repulsed me. "I'm afraid that you don't." And then he was before me, invading my personal space in less time than it took for me to blink. I was unable to suppress the sharp gasp that choked its way out of my throat, and I stumbled back, colliding with Jasper yet again. I was trapped. Aro reached up and trailed his fingers lightly over my cheek, and I shuddered, jerking my face away in disgust. "But you will, very soon sweetling."

He swept away from me dramatically, smiling at his small army of vampires.

"What we have here, my children," he announced importantly, "is the newest addition to our happy family." Quiet murmurs of dissent whispered through the room, before Aro silenced his minions with a raised hand. "I know, she looks like nothing more than a feeble human now, because, of course, she is --" More laughter. "--but soon, Alice has assured me that this mere slip of a girl will be the greatest defense the Volturi has ever possessed."

I wanted to protest, to cry out against the insanity that my life was unraveling into, but the words were lodged behind the sudden lump in my throat.

Upon the dais, a young woman stepped forward; her short, dark hair sticking up in organized disarray. She was teensy, from the tip of her pixie nose, to her tiny feet and her smile was impish, hinting at more than a bit of mischief. She looked like the kind of girl I could've been friends with, if not for the fact that her eyes were burgundy and she was a blood-drinking fiend. You know, the minor details make all the difference.

She came to stand beside the throne that housed an angry looking blonde man.

"And it's not just her defensive abilities we'll be able to hone and wield, I've seen that she will be an amazing offensive weapon as well. She will rival Jane and Alec," her voice was melodic, yet the words she spoke made it jangle discordantly in my ears.

Aro's grin was positively jovial. "And until our guest has become acclimated, I want all of you to be on your best behavior. Our little Isabella will be changed within the year."

Where none of the previous conversation was able to shake me out of my stupor, this did it.

"Change me?" I choked out; stepping forward, despite my mind's silent, screaming protestations.

He whirled to face me, a flurry of flowing robes that momentarily disoriented me. I blinked, only to find his face close to mine.

"Yes, pet, change you. You didn't think that we would allow one of our most prized possessions to remain so weak and fragile, did you?"

I wanted to scream at him. I wanted to tell him that I hadn't thought about it at all, actually. I hadn't thought that on my trip to Italy I would be captured by delusional, homicidal vampires, intent on using some imaginary skill I seemed to possess!

Instead, I felt myself swaying on my feet, my legs threatening to collapse as all of the blood drained from my face. "Change me..." I breathed, frowning as I felt Jasper's hand at my elbow, steadying me. I jerked away from his touch. "You mean, make me like you?"

The sound he made was reminiscent of a purr as he dragged his frigid fingers down my arm, his expression curious. "Yes, dearest, just like me. You will be magnificent; our Alice has shown me, and now, as you shield your thoughts from me, so effortlessly, despite the terrified racing of your little heart, I recognize the truth of her vision. I cannot wait," he murmured, his eyes suddenly greedy.

I was too stunned to pull away as his fingers descended to my throbbing hand, a sympathetic noise heard from beneath his breath.

"And what have we here?" Despite my repugnance, I couldn't deny that the icy touch of his fingers felt good against the burning, inflamed skin of my hand. Aro gazed at the jagged, bruised mess the appendage had become, and his head snapped up, crimson eyes darkening. "It appears as though my edicts were not followed. I wish to apologize, sweetling, on behalf of your guard. Though we do our best to remain civilized, many of us are still prone to the urges of our baser instincts."

His glance alighted first upon Edward, and then Jasper and I followed the gaze curiously. Edward appeared irritated, while Jasper maintained that perpetually unaffected mask. Nothing seemed to faze him.

"I assure you, Master, that we were more than mindful of our strength when dealing with the girl," Edward argued testily.

"Oh?" Aro questioned, his now black eyes dropping to inspect the extensive damage.

Pain spiked up my arm, and with it came nausea. Though I couldn't begin to fathom why, I found myself responding in a trembling voice, "No. It wasn't them. I did it."

This gave him pause. His thumb stroked the back of my knuckles slowly, as light as the touch of a feather, and despite my better intentions, I was lulled into a rather calm state. His onyx gaze caught mine and held fast, and he murmured quietly,

"Why, little one?"

The answer was voiced before I even realized I was going to respond.

"Because, I'm alive and they're not. Because I'm weak, helpless, and I hate myself for it."

He hummed quietly, and we stood that way for several seconds, his gaze probing mine for the answers he could not glean from my brain.

He finally looked away, and I blinked several times, coming back to myself. Dammit! I hated that they could do that! If I really had this special ability they kept speaking of, I vowed that I would learn how to use it to protect myself from that...that Dazzling thing!

Aro had turned toward the spiky haired girl, "You saw this?"

She nodded slowly. "It was necessary, Master."

He turned back to me without so much as a word to the girl, but I thought I saw a flash of annoyance in his gaze, which was shifting back to its 'normal' crimson.

He smiled then, and I couldn't help but wonder if he knew just how creepy that expression truly was.

"So, Isabella, what have you to say, in response to my offer of immortality?" He carefully released my hand, and it dropped limply to my side.

I glanced at the floor, willing myself to be strong, willing myself to say the words that I knew needed to be said. I knew what Aro was doing. These pleasantries and his false concern, as though I weren't a prisoner here, being held against my will.

I tried to recall the angry rants I'd come up with, as I'd sat in that cell for who knew how long, speeches that I intended to spout off at the slightest provocation. But they were gone, all of those furiously accusing words, and what came out now was simply,

"No, thank you."

If his expression was anything to go by, the words took Aro as much by surprise as they did me. He frowned thoughtfully, seeming at a momentary loss for how to respond.

"No, thank you?" he repeated eventually.

It was oh so tempting to laugh and brush my words off with a swift, "I'm kidding, go ahead and make me a vampire," but I'd never really been one to take the easy way out.

I nodded slowly, half expecting punishment for my disobedience, but unable to summon the appropriate fear at such a thought.

"Yes, that's right." I was proud that my voice rang clearly across the chamber. "No, thank you."

He drew back slightly, tilting his head to one side as he pondered me, his expression unreadable. "I see. You understand, of course, that we do not offer condolences and a consolation prize if that is your decision? The only other option is death, and I must say, the thought of wasting such talent is not a pleasant one," he sighed heavily as though to prove how the idea burdened him, but I was quite certain that he'd just as soon save himself the trouble and be rid of me. He swayed toward me gracefully, his cold hand abruptly finding my throat and wrapping around the slender column. His fingers tensed slightly, and though he was barely restricting my airway, I could sense the incredible strength he possessed; the damage he could truly do should the whim strike him. I hardly dared to breathe as he smiled slowly, unpleasantly. "Is that what you would prefer, Isabella, that I kill you?"

Ah, my near-constant companion, fear, had finally returned, bringing with it the rapid acceleration of my heart and the telltale tremor that shook through my limbs.

Still, if my choices were only these two, I didn't see that there truly was a choice. And so, I nodded faintly.

"Yes," I whispered. "I would much rather you kill me."

This seemed to amuse him. He drew back slowly, and I shuddered as his thumb caressed the faint hollow beneath my chin where my pulse raced wildly.

"Ah, mortals and their misbegotten principles," he laughed. "Alas, I'm afraid the decision is not yours to make, _cara mia, _it is mine. And what shall I decide…?" He tapped his chin thoughtfully, and I peered at him spitefully from beneath my lashes. As though we both didn't know that if he wanted me dead it'd have been done long ago. "I believe… I shall make you one of us! There! You may rest easy knowing that the my mind is made up."

The finality of his words was a bitter pill that I had great difficulty swallowing. This couldn't be it. They couldn't just make this decision for me and expect that I would obey their wishes without fight.

"I won't do it," I suddenly growled, stepping closer yet. My hatred for these monsters grew by the very second; it nearly rivaled the hatred that I felt for my loathsome weakness. "With what you've done, to me, and my friend and all of those innocent people. I won't! You cannot make me!"

The man upon the furthest throne yawned quietly and I felt rage shake through me that he should be _bored_ with this. This decided my fate, my _life_!

Aro had begun to circle me slowly, a vulture hovering over its dying prey, and I struggled not to look at him; not to give him the satisfaction of knowing that having him out of my sight made almost crippling terror shoot through me. My instincts warred with my pride, but the latter had had so few victories of late that I kept my gaze straight ahead. When he spoke, his lips were near my ear and his cool breath brushed over my skin. Revulsion shuddered up my spine.

"You will change your mind, my dear. We are very persuasive," he murmured, and I saw his hand in my peripheral vision, gesturing toward the group behind the dais. Jane stepped forward immediately, a young man at her side. I swallowed the bile that suddenly burned the back of my throat, but I stood firm, shaking my head.

"There is _nothing_ you could say or do…" I reaffirmed.

His laughter was eerie, and I couldn't stop myself as I finally turned to face him. His blood-red eyes met mine and I half-expected the complacent warmth to embrace me.

But the manipulation never came, and I felt Aro's hand brushing over my tangled hair almost lovingly.

"Nothing, you say?"

It wasn't the truth, and we both knew it, but I couldn't bring myself to back down now. All I had shown them thus far was weakness. I remained stoically silent.

Aro nodded to the young man, little more than a child really, who stood beside Jane. Seeing them together, I realized that they must be twins, with their similar faces and equally twisted little grins.

"This is Alec, Isabella," Aro murmured near my ear as the boy stepped forward.

Alec smiled coldly, nodding in my direction. "It grieves me that we must meet under such circumstances," he said by way of introduction.

Taunting them was not a good idea, and I knew this. Still, my tongue seemed to take on a life of its own. "Because we'd just be the best of friends, otherwise, wouldn't we?" I snapped, rolling my eyes.

He simply chuckled, watching me intently. I stared right back, wishing that my 'power' was the ability to kill with a single look.

Aro laughed. "I've begun a bit of a collection, Isabella." I kept my eyes on Alec, terrified of what was coming, but knowing I was well and truly helpless to stop it. I silently vowed not to show them my fear; my pain, regardless of what they chose to inflict. "What do I collect, you might ask," Aro continued conversationally. "It's simple really. I collect vampires. But not just any vampires. I am only interested in those with special skills-sets, talents that ensure my and my brothers' position of power in the Volturi." He leaned around my shoulder, so that he peered at Alec and Jane as attentively as I did. "And these? Why these are my trophies; the most prized of any of my children. I saved them from being burned at the stake, you know," he reminisced.

"Did you? How very sweet," I commented icily.

He was unfazed, smiling in response. "Yes, it was, wasn't it?" He paused for a moment before continuing. "Would you like to know why I hold these two in such high regard?"

"Not particularly," I murmured noncommittally, knowing that my words of disinterest would do nothing to save me from whatever grisly demonstration he had planned.

"Mmm, but I intend to inform you anyway. Alec?"

I stared at the boy, hoping my eyes didn't show the desperation I was feeling, hoping they weren't pleading for his nonexistent mercy.

And then he was gone.

I realized, as my head moved futilely from side to side, that everything was gone.

I uttered a small, confused sound, despite my better intentions. Was I waking in the darkness of my hotel room, and everything had been a nightmare? But no, my hand still burned and throbbed, and my stomach cramped and knotted. Had I closed my eyes against whatever inevitable torture they intended to inflict? I blinked slowly. No.

My breath rasped in and out of my lungs as I began to hyperventilate, the answer tearing through my brain viciously, leaving incoherence in its wake.

I was blind.

Panic flared hotly in my chest, and I desperately scrubbed my hands over my eyes.

"How… What are you doing?!" I demanded, hating how small and dismayed my voice sounded.

I could hear Aro's cruel smile in his words. "Alec, here, has the ability to completely cut off the senses. Sight, hearing, balance…"

The floor seemed to shift beneath my feet, a dull ache beginning behind eyes as white noise rang in my ears. Before I realized I needed to catch myself, my knees rapped sharply against the hard, cold floor, pain spiraling through my legs. I leaned forward on my uninjured hand, panting softly.

"Certainly you can see how this might be useful when used against our foes," Aro continued, as though we were discussing the weather.

I didn't respond, knowing that the point the proved required none. I knelt, stationary, on the ground, staring blankly into the darkness.

"And Jane," I immediately stiffened, biting back the desperate plea that sprang to my lips. "You are familiar with her power, are you not?"

A helpless nod was all that I could manage, and I tensed, waiting…

"Good, good." For a moment, relief flooded through me, like a cool breeze. I remembered one of my guards chastising Jane for using her power on me while I was still human; for the irreparable damage she may do. Perhaps Aro would--

The pain tore through me so swiftly that for a moment my brain was unable to register what was actually happening. Oh God, it was worse, so much worse than I'd remembered. An inferno of agony tore through my limbs, burning through my very veins, scorching every nerve in its path. My throat ached with unuttered screams, and it was only a matter of seconds before the trembling arm that held me up collapsed, sending me sprawling onto the damp stones. I tasted blood in my mouth as my chin hit the ground, but the dull ache of my teeth grazing my tongue was nothing, nothing, compared to what I suffered.

I curled in upon myself, clutching my knees to my chest as though I could somehow protect myself from Jane's gaze, from her power.

It seemed to go on for hours, though I knew it could not have been more than a few seconds. Aro was right, I would agree to anything, anything at all if he were just to stop this. The cries that were lodged in my throat finally escaped, and tears that I'd been desperately holding at bay trickled from the corners of my eyes. Even through the deep red haze of pain, I hated myself for allowing them to get the better of me yet again.

And then, it stopped. As quickly as it'd begun, it was all over. I rolled onto my back, gasping as I wiped burning tears from my eyes, which were functioning once more. Every muscle in my body trembled and ached, as though I'd just run miles, and exhaustion swept through me. I'd have never guessed that being tortured would be so tiring.

Aro tutted sympathetically from above me, and my blurry gaze locked on him. The hatred I felt for this man was a living, festering thing inside of me. He crouched next to me, pale fingers capturing one of the tears that insisted on continuing without my consent. I watched in disgust as he brought it to his lips, tasting the physical manifestation of my pain, before smiling. I grit my teeth, wishing with everything inside of me that I had the power to kill him.

"So you see, dearest Isabella, though I do not require your consent, there is nothing I will not do to ensure it. Your power will be mine to wield."

I looked away, my head lolling listlessly against the floor. There was really nothing more to be said.

Aro seemed to understand my defeated silence, for he murmured,

"You were far easier to break than I had anticipated, sweetling. Even for a mortal."

The words prodded something within me, some dark, slumbering animal that did not appreciate the sudden wakening. I jerked upward swiftly, despite my sore muscles, grasping the front of his robes in my fingers.

"You will _never_ break me, monster. _Never._ You may add me to your collection, you may even get me to agree to it. But someday, someday when you least expect it, I will take great pleasure in killing you," I growled from between clenched teeth. I smiled coldly. "After all, I'll have forever."

Several of the bystanders had stepped forward at my verbal attack, but Aro waved them away dismissively. He seemed pleased. I couldn't imagine why a death threat was cause for amusement, but I was fresh out of the strength necessary to question him.

"That's better," he murmured, pulling my clenched hands away from his shirtfront and smoothing the wrinkles from the fabric. He rose to his full height. "Now then, Alice, if you and Edward would take Isabella up to her room and attend to that hand?"

"Yes, Master," Alice acquiesced, rushing forward and lifting me from the ground as though I didn't have at least twenty pounds on her. The room began to spin as she moved, and I closed my eyes against the motion.

I was aware of very little as we moved through the castle; we ascended several sets of steps, and neither of my keepers spoke. Alice finally laid me on something soft, her cool hand fluttering over my brow, her voice quietly assuring me that the worst was over.

As the sweet escape of darkness consumed me, I was surprised to find that I believed her.

* * *

**A/N: Is it odd that I have a strange thing for DarkAro? :P**

**Hit the review button and let me know what you think.**


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